Sunday, January 4, 2009

There are so many topics to write about; however it seems to be impossible for any blogger with Israeli roots to ignore the war and mayhem currently going on in the Gaza Strip.

Ever since the commencement of Operation Cast Lead, I have been pretty much glued to all sorts of information sources, mostly online. It truly is amazing how much online space this conflict is occupying; it is everywhere.

Sifting through hundreds of comments and postings, against and for the military operation, I once again came to realize how elusive the concept of "truth" is. Opinions vary wildly, which is not a bad thing at all; still I find it very annoying to read opinions that are based on lies (rather than facts) and outright hypocrisy.

On both sides.

Israeli websites are flooded with comments and postings urging the Israeli government to paint the Gaza population in blue and kindly merge it with the Mediterranean Sea; non-Israeli websites are flooded with equivalent postings, though on the other side of the spectrum.

Canadians appear to be divided in this subject. I have read so many comments in CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) justifying the operation, and others blaming the Jewish people for all world problems. One guy also mentioned that the Jewish people are naturally-born killers, and "what can you expect from people who killed Jesus".

I could go on and on with my opinion about the Israeli-Arab conflict, annoy a handful of people and bore others to death. Instead, over the next few days, I will present some claims, myths, facts and unpleasant truths that may help others form reasonable and constructive conclusions.

Again, what I am going to present here are either facts or opinions based on dry, solid facts - whether they are pleasant to hear or not. If any of the facts I mention turns out to be wrong, I will appreciate it if you comment on it and let me know.

Claim #1: Israel is conducting ethnic cleansing in Gaza

Quoting from Wikipedia:

Ethnic cleansing is a euphemism referring to the persecution through imprisonment, expulsion, or killing of members of an ethnic minority by a majority to achieve ethnic homogeneity in majority-controlled territory.

There are approximately two million people living in the Gaza Strip. Israel's military power is, by all means and according to all available information, enormous; you don't need to be a genius at the art of warfare to conclude that Israel could convert the entire Gaza Strip to a pile of burning stones in just about half an hour using air strikes only.

Well, I've got to tell you then... if the Israeli government has indeed decided to perform ethnic cleansing in the Gaza Strip, they are doing a terrible job at it.

Claim #2: Israel has no right to operate against a democratically-elected government

While it is correct that the Hamas party has been elected democratically, the conclusion that Israel has no right to operate against it simply does not align with common sense. Being democratically elected does not grant any government the right to wage war and terror at another.

Mind you, Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party were also democratically elected.